This website allows publishers to approve readers to receive a digital advance copy of a book. Given the rise of eReaders and a likely long term paradigm shift in the publishing industry it would make sense to transition the advance copies of books to digital format, instead of having to print and ship physical copies of each book.

NetGalley has a pretty broad list of compatible devices, allowing you to read books on either your phone, your tablet, your eReader, or your computer.

The cool thing for Star Wars fans is that both the Star Wars licensees Dark Horse Comics and Random House (Del Rey/Spectra) participate in the website.

The first book that I am checking out on NetGalley is Paul S. Kemp's Star Wars: Riptide.

I have downloaded the book for my Kindle and on the PC for Adobe Digital Editions. So far, the book looks great in Adobe, but the formatting of some of the text is off in the Kindle version.

If you are an avid reader or reviewer, I suggest you check out NetGalley, signing up is free.

DATE
CHANGE: The on sale date for James Luceno's STAR WARS: DARTH PLAGUEIS
has been bumped two weeks from December 27, 2011 to January 10, 2012.
The book will be available in hardcover and ebook formats from Del Rey
and LucasBooks. (ES)

Darth Plagueis was scheduled to go on sale December 27, 2011but has been pushed back until January 10th, 2012.

This isn't a huge change but there is a bit of a dead spot in the publishing calendar this winter. I recently had the privilege to read an advance copy of Darth Plagueis and while you will have to wait until the first week of January for my review, let me just say that Mr. Luceno did a masterful job with this book. It is a massive story that not only fills in back story for characters we already know, but opens up tons of new story telling possibilities for the SWEU to build upon. It is worth the wait folks.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Today SUVUDU.com posted the cover art for Jeff Grubb's new Star Wars book entitled "Scourge." Due out on April 24, 2012 in paperback and ebook formats.

We have scene a move away from the Bantam Era novel covers, which has involved a variety of different styles for recent Star Wars book releases. This new style of novel has delivered some very amazing looking covers such as the breathtaking Knight Errant cover to the Mara's giant floating head on the cover of Choices of One.

Star Wars: Scourge is giving us a very interesting wrap-around image on a paperback novel with a bright white background.

Keep in mind that there will be both spine text and back cover text which was not included with the cover art image.

In addition to the front cover reveal, I thought you might like to see
Larry Rostrant’s full image of Mander Zuma. The art will wrap around the
spine and onto the back of the book, spine type and back cover copy
will be added later.

I actually love the angled title and author text. "Scourge" is done in interesting colors and textures. I like the Jedi action pose of Jedi Archivist Mander Zuma. But I just don't think this cover hits the mark.

Two things bother me about this cover art. To get into what bothers me, lets take a look at the book's blurb:

In the heart of crime-ridden Hutt Space, a Jedi Scholar searches for justice.
While trying to obtain the coordinates of a secretive, peril-packed,
but potentially beneficial trade route, a novice Jedi is killed—and the
motive for his murder remains shrouded in mystery. Now his former
Master, Jedi archivist Mander Zuma, wants answers, even as he fights to
erase doubts about his own abilities as a Jedi. What Mander gets is
immersion into the perilous underworld of the Hutts as he struggles to
stay one step ahead in a game of smugglers, killers, and crime lords
bent on total control.

Finally we see the Hutts feature prominently in the Expanded Universe again. Jabba the Hutt is one of the most recognizable aliens from the Star Wars franchise. Instantly when you see a Hutt you think of Star Wars and of Jabba. Yet on the cover of this "Hutt" book we don't have any Hutts or anything that hints at Hutt involvement. I have a hard time believing that an image of some anonymous Jedi would grab the casual readers or browsing shoppers attention more then a big ugly looking Hutt on the cover.

You could even simply put the large silhouette of a Hutt on the white background behind Zuma would even be cool.

The other issue I have with the cover is that the description of the book tells us that Zuma is basically a Librarian. While Librarians are cool, the image on the cover doesn't indicate someone who is lacking in Jedi fighting abilities. The Jedi in the image is in a very martial pose.

There should be sole slightly humorous inclusion to indicate that this is a Jedi more used to studying then fighting. A stack of datapads, a pair of bi-focal, etc. I expect someone who looks like Indiana Jones when he is in Professor Jones mode or like Noah Wyle's Flynn Carsen character in the "The Librarian" series.

The cover art by Larry Rostrant isn't horrible, it would be a great preliminary cover, but to me it just seems to be missing something.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Sometimes that shark he looks right into ya. Right into your eyes. And,
you know, the thing about a shark... he's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes.
Like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be living...
until he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then... ah
then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin'. The ocean turns red,
and despite all the poundin' and the hollerin', they all come in and
they... rip you to pieces. ~Quint aboard the Orca, JAWS (1975)

The third and final installment of the Mon Cala arc left Separatist forces in pieces and chummed the calm waters of Naboo for potential Separatist retaliation in next weeks episode.

Prisoners was without a doubt my favorite of these three episodes centered on the Mon Cala civil war.

"Crowns are inherited, kingdoms are earned."

The Republic and Gungan forces have been captured by Riff Tamson and his
Karkarodon enforcers. Now, it is up to Ahsoka and the young Prince
Lee-Char to unite the fractured people of Mon Cala and drive out the
Separatist invaders.

The show opens with the Jedi, Jar Jar and Padme in shackles before the politicians are imprisoned in the very cool Mon Cala Crab restraints while the Jedi are restrained by electric eel prisoner cages. We get more good dialogue between Ahsoka and Lee, and a cool prison break in scene where the Prince raises the spirits of the Mon Cala, Clones, and Gungans. The episode turns after Lee Char is captured and while in captivity is able to convince Nossor Ri to see the error of his ways, leading to the dramatic conclusion a the Prince's aborted execution.

This episode shows a tremendous amount of growth from young Prince Lee Char. The clarity of vision and simple wisdom that he displays by seeing behind the lies and getting to the truth of the matter that Riff Tamson murdered his father, the King. He also shows tremendous bravery infiltrating an internment camp and demanding to see the Separatist leadership, clearly unafraid of what the Force may have in store for him.

Nossor Ri gets a fun little scene with Riff that had me flashing back to Lando Calrissian's Cloud City conversation with Darth Vader. I kept waiting for Riff to say, "
I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further."

One would think that Kit Fisto would be able to sense Anakin's very very
high feelings of concern for Padme when her life is endangered by
becoming Riff's chew toy. The Anakin-Padme relationship is quickly
approaching the Superman/Clark Kent level of being too obvious to remain
secret. Clearly the population of the GFFA is about as observant as
the population of Metropolis. It would be pretty interesting to see a
minor Jedi character accidentally see Padme and Anakin in an embrace,
then have Anakin mind-wipe the Jedi.

There were some really cool weapons and tactics in this episode. I loved Akbar's Baton Blaster. I am coming around on Akbar's headgear, while I think the seashell
design on it was a weird motif for a warrior, the Mon Cala battle
tactic of using their gigantic skulls as a battering ram and headbutting
opponents was a very interesting and anatomically astute way of
customizing there hand to hand fighting style.

Riff Tamson's explosive knives were awesome. I really liked the way they blew their victims into little floating chunks. The final confrontation between Riff and Lee Char felt like it was straight out of an 80's action movie.

Two other things I enjoyed were the cool Clone ScubaTrooper Commander Monnk and the bulkier Karkarodon goons.

If this story arc and the future "Slaves of the Republic" adapted storyline are any indication, slavery is going to be a major theme running through this season. I am not sure where exactly it first appeared in canon, but as far back as I can remember fandom was aware that Chewbacca had been enslaved by the Empire and Han freed him resulting in the life-debt and a friendship for the ages. The idea of slavery has been further expounded by the Expanded Universe and by the Maker himself in the Prequel Trilogy. The Empire enslaved many non-human populations (Wookiees are but one example) in order to provide cheap slave labor for projects such as the construction of the Death Star.

Slavery is the ultimate degradation of a person, it is turning a person from an individual into a piece of chattel, who get treated worse then beasts of burden and are subject to the capricious whims of often harsh masters. Even with a "kind" Master, slavery is anathema to the human spirit and in Star Wars parlance, the Will of the Force.

I love the fact that this episode directly addresses the literal enslavement of the Mon Calamari and the de facto enslavement of the Quarren. This one plot device provides a great dramatic background for Lee Char's growth from Prince to King, but it does so much more as well. By using slavery, this episode foreshadows the ultimate goal of the Sith / Galactic Empire, by sowing strife between rival species, they set up a number of scenarios that are beneficial. By dividing the Mon Calamari and the Quarren, they weaken the planet Mon Cala from defending itself. If they simply tried to invade and enslave the entire population at the same time the Mon Cala people would unite and defend each other from the external threat, making it much more difficult. But by getting the Quarren to do the dirty work of defeating the Mon Calamari and helping to enslave them, then there would be no one to help the Quarren once the Separatists turn on them and place the stun shackles on them as well.

It serves to help connect this series with the Expanded Universe where we see this Imperial enslavement in much more depth, without stepping on that continuity. The fact that in the EU Ackbar later becomes the slave of Grand Moff Tarkin is another interesting little moment in EU history and slavery in the GFFA.

Rating: Prisoners (4.03) gets 8.5 Riff Tamson chunks for a well constructed story that saw the maturation of Prince Lee Char, the redemption of Nossor Ri, and a very explosive final confrontation. I hope we get more episodes like this in the rest of Season Four.

"The Sith control everything, you just don't know it!" ~Count Dooku to Anakin Skywalker

The scene in the preview for next week's episode looks awesome. Dooku has become such a much more compelling character then he was in Season One of the series. It is also another time that he speaks the truth only to be thought to be lying or in this case exagerating, much like his converastion with Obi-Wan in Episode II.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

I think this George Lucas guy knows what he is doing. According to Variety, the Star Wars Blu-ray releases have sold over 1 million copies worldwide. These sets have so far earned over $84 million worldwide, $38 million in the US alone.

I can't wait to see how The Phantom Menace does next year in 3D, as it appears the Star Wars franchise isn't slowing down anytime soon.

If sales keep up at this rate maybe we can finally get the Live Action Series into production.

The website Celebufight.com has posted a head to head match up between the greatest Jedi Master ever, Yoda and the more machine then man Sith Lord, Darth Vader.

Who do you think would win in a battle between the two? Head to Celebufight.com to vote.

Personally, I think Episode III tells us that Vader would be no match for Yoda. Yoda sends Obi-Wan to take on Vader because Obi-Wan isn't as powerful as Yoda and wouldn't stand a chance against the Emperor. Therefore logic says that Yoda would be stronger then Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan could kick Vader's butt.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

"I want them to watch their hope sink to the bottom of the seas."~Riff Tamson

Part two of the TCW Season Four premier leaves me wondering, how exactly does a lightsaber work under water? Naturally the follow up question is, how do blaster bolts work under water? Really, I was a liberal arts major, where are the physics geeks when I need them? But let us suspend disbelief and wade into the currents of this episode.

"Only through fire is a strong sword forged."

Anakin Skywalker and the rest of his Jedi team have been overrun by the
Separatist surprise attacks led by Riff Tamson while Prince Lee-Char and
Ahsoka must evade capture on their own. Unable to summon more Republic
aid, Yoda calls upon the help of the powerful and amphibious Gungan
Grand Army, but whether they will be enough to stop the Separatist siege
is uncertain. An incensed Tamson doubles his efforts in tracking down
Prince Lee-Char, unleashing the reinforcements given to him by Count
Dooku in an assault that churns the oceans.

I loved the sound design of this episode. The sounds of the Aquadroids, the sound of the Republic Cruiser exploding and the "tink" noise the debris made as it was falling to the bottom of the sea, the whoosh of water, etc. The score was also very solid. It was really enhanced listening to it streaming over headphones as I could pick up some of sound details I lost through speakers.

The ScubaTroopers may be the coolest design for Clones we have gotten recently. I love the angles on the armor. I love, just love the look of the Republic Cruiser. Feast for the eyes. At this point TCW is so visually pleasing that it seems redundant to mention it every review, except for the fact that Joel Aron and the crew deserve so much credit for producing this look on a 22 minute "kids" show.

I can't believe that I made it through last episode's review without mentioning the smoothest Jedi this side of Mace Windu, that is right ladies I am talking about Kit "I hate Jedi robes, they itch" Fisto. I still can't believe how hard Kit gets punked by Palpatine in the Chancellor's arrest scene. Jedi Fail. Back to Gungan Attack however, Fisto is just cool, the Jamaican accent is a bit over the top, but that is Ok because he kicks butt and takes names in just about every episode he appears in. You just know that somewhere in the GFFA when Fisto is not protecting the galaxy, he is modeling for the cover of romance holos. Fisto and Prince Isolder are locked in a heated beauty contest to see who is the Fabio of the Star Wars Universe.

On the topic of every one's favorite species, the Gungans. Let me get this straight, not only do the Gungans have a great army, but apparently they have Jar Jar on their leadership council. How has this species not conquered the galaxy? Wouldn't the Gungans have died jumping all the way from the Republic
Cruiser to the surface of the ocean? Seemed like the ship was still
pretty high up. On the plus side, the Gungans really kicked some Hydroid Medussa tentacle.

The enslavement of the Mon Calamari is very in keeping with the future Galactic Empire and its enslavement of alien species, particularly the Wookiees after the conquest of Kashyyyk. While the Separatists are not the Empire, the idea that Dooku and then Palpatine would work out of the same playbook makes a ton of sense. The sad thing is that the Separatists only bound the Mon Cala with rubber bands, but just like the lobster, they just couldn't escape.

Anakin and Padme's secret marriage has to be the worst kept secret in the Republic. Here they are playfully flirting in front of Ahsoka, Kit Fisto and Senator Tills and no one notices.

There were some fun moments in this episode; Anakin showing some major Chosen One level Jedi powers bringing down the sensor building; Riff Tamson has his Scooby Doo Villain moment; and Prince Lee-Char doing his best Braveheart impression before all heck breaks loose.

The end of the episode was fun, it appeared that Ahsoka lost her shoto lightsaber, throwing it at Riff to save the Prince's life. Then Ahsoka goes all mature and sage like in her advice to the young Prince. Which inspires the Prince to exclaim, "I will unify Mon Cala again, I promise." This line from Prince Lee-Char reminded me a lot of General Douglas MacArthur's "I shall return," quote. Much like bad Sushi, I think Lee-Char is a fish we will see again.

I leave you this week with one final thought, did I really see Senator Tills and Jar Jar in a very "friendly" looking embrace? What do we have here?

Rating: Gungan Attack gets 7.5 awkward inter-species love connection hugs. It was a very solid episode, but clearly the middle part of a story and largely furthered the characters and plot we saw introduced in Water Wars, without a major "WOW" moment.

"Crowns are inherited, kingdoms are earned."

The Republic and Gungan forces have been captured by Riff Tamson and his
Karkarodon enforcers. Now, it is up to Ahsoka and the young Prince
Lee-Char to unite the fractured people of Mon Cala and drive out the
Separatist invaders.

That spashing sound you here is a legion of kids diving into pools and bathtubs around the world with their action figures to re-enact this season's TCW premier episode Water War.

Set on the watery world formerly known as Dak or Mon Calamari, and now re-branded Mon Cala, the premiere episode takes place almost entirely under water.

"When destiny calls, the chosen have no choice."

When the king of Mon Cala is assassinated, talks break down between the
Mon Calamari people and the Quarren, co-inhabitants of the aquatic
world. To stop a civil war, the Republic sends Padmé Amidala and Anakin
Skywalker, but unbeknownst to them, the Quarren are already being backed
by the Separatists. Now the Jedi must protect Mon Cala's new leader,
the young Prince Lee-Char, from the attack.

In Water War we are introduced new allies and enemies. Echoing last season's appearnce of Captain Tarkin, in this episode we get to meet Captain Ackbar of the Mon Cala Royal Military. Even though we are many years before the Battle of Endor when fans were first introduced to Admiral Ackbar, the character as we meet him here is already a grizzled and respected military leader. We see a familiar story telling theme presented where the veteran leader is subordinated to an inexperienced and young heir to power. In Water War that inexperienced regent is Prince Lee-Char. The Prince may not be experienced in military strategy and leadership, yet he has enough wisdom to listen to the advice of those around him and the bravery to stand up when called upon. It will be interesting to see how Lee-Char's leadership continues to grow during the rest of the Mon Cala arc, and whether we see him re-appear down the line in the series.

We also get an appearance by an Episode III character in Mon Calamari Senator Meena Tills. The big take away from this is that in the Star Wars universe, female fish-people have mammary glands. You learn something new each day. Of course it also raises the question of how does one wear a skirt under water and retain any modesty? But I digress before I get myself in to deep water. (Get the water joke? Do ya?. Funny right? )

On the Separatist side we get to meet a sharking new villain in Riff Tamson. The Karkarodon CIS Commander is a very compelling and cool bad guy. Both the voice acting and the animation is top notch, I particularly loved the twitching death roll like movements that Riff makes once he sinks his teeth into a victim. The only thing missing was red mist in the water.

We also meet a Quarren leader in Nossor Ri. Why do the Quarren wear boots under water instead of going bare fin? For whatever reason I find the Quarren and their moving facial appendages and three pronged mouths particularly creepy.

We got some cool new technology in this episode as well. The highlights for me were the Hydroid Medusas, the Mon Calamari spear blaster, and what I am calling the Turbo Tubes.

The Hydroid Medusa where cyborg monstrosities that are part droid and part "monster," according to Riff Tamson. They seem like something out of a Godzilla movie, giant electrified Jellyfish. They were beautifully animated.

The Mon Calamari spear blaster's were very cool because they work as both as a ranged weapon and by flipping it around as a melee weapon. It was pretty neat to see a Mon Cala warrior flip the weapon in mid-attack to strike with the spear end.

Without the StarWars.com episode guides as they were in their previous incarnation, it looks like we will be getting less detail on some of the episodes. In this episode, the tubes that the Mon Cala used to navigate through their home city as far as I know do not have a name. So for my purposes here I am calling them Turbo Tubes, as to me it makes sense that they would be tubes where the current of water moves faster in order to allow the Mon Cala to travel quicker then simply free swimming from place to place. I thought these Turbo Tubes looked awesome and reminded me of those underwater observation areas in aquariums where you can see the fish and sharks swimming above and around you (Jaws 3 says Hi!). There were very cool glass animation effects on the tubes when they were broken both by falling debris and by Riff Tamson's face.

The animation on this episode was top notch, there was a number of shots where there were tons of characters on the screen at the same time involved in battle. The scope of the show has really expanded based on their ability to fill the animated environments which they have created with detail, last season we saw a real leap in background details like bugs and plants, this season we see a major leap in characters and laser beams, oh boy are there a lot of laser beams. The only minor gripe I have with the animation is that it feels like their should be more bubbles in the water then their is.

Anakin takes a very mature and measured turn in this episode. Even though he gets to slice and dice droids and Quarren, he doesn't try to take charge of the battle as he so often does. Was he on his best behavior in front of Padme?

The story itself is pretty simple, the Mon Calamari are betrayed and attacked by the Quarren, the Mon Calamari gain the initial upper hand in battle, only to see the Quarren and their Separatist allies spring a surprise and see the tide of battle turn. The Mon Cala leadership is forced to flee in order to protect the Prince and give the chance for them to rebuild and formulate a counter attack, hopefully with the aid of Republic reinforcements.

The episode ended with a pearl of wisdom from Ackbar to young Prince Lee-Char, making clear that it is better to retreat and live to fight another day then to stand your ground and die. This moment is a good lesson for the young ruler, but it also hearkens back to Ackbar's discussion in Return of the Jedi when they find the Death Star 2.0 is operational and the shield is still up. Ultimately the Alliance forces stay and fight but Ackbar's instinct is to flee and preserve his forces, not because of cowardice but because he is taking a long term view of the war beyond a single battle.

The license partnership between LEGO and Star Wars has resulted in a slew of wildly popular video games, an entire line of Star Wars LEGO toys and related nicknacks. Most recently there was a 22 minute TV movie special that aired on Cartoon Network during San Diego Comic-Con 2011.

The home video release features a two copies of the movie, one on DVD and one on Blu-ray. Each disc also contains identical bonus features. No digital copy of the movie is included. The bonus features are two animated shorts; "The Quest for R2-D2" and "Bombad Bounty." There are also two "Star Wars in 2 Minutes" with a kid summarizing the original trilogy and prequel trilogy separately with LEGO animations. The final bonus feature is a Dee Bradley Baker narrated "The Clone Wars Animated Comics" told from the perspective of a few Clones.

The set retails for $13 dollars and is availble exclusively at Walmart. I am glad they included the bonus features and two copies of the movie because for $13, 22 minutes goes by pretty fast.

There was a lot of sight gags in the movie, some of them worked better then others. I really enjoyed the Palpatine in the Senate chamber scene where he raises and lowers the cowl of his robes.

It was fun to see the Man in Flannel appear a few times with the set crashing Dark Lord.

Ian/Han was amusing enough if a tad obnoxious and overall the kids featured in the film didn't capture my imagination except when one got his camera eaten by a dewback.

Some of the assembling and disassembling got a bit old for me as I was watching, but I think that was more then made up for by some humorous dialogue, especially the self-deprecating Yoda.

I think I may actually like the short "Bombad Bounty" which features Vader, Jar Jar and Boba Fett better then the feature on the disc.

I would say that this movie will probably play much better with the younger fans then older ones, but if you are a collector or hardcore Star Wars fan then this should still be added to your collection.

Along with the new StarWars.com website, there has been a change to how content is delivered via the site.

In previous seasons of The Clone Wars, the episodes would air on Cartoon Network on Friday night, then appear for purchase on iTunes on Saturday, and show up for free streaming on Monday.

Starting with Season Four, TCW is now available streaming for free on StarWars.com on Saturday. Currently both of the premier episodes are posted 4.01: Water War and 4.02: Gungan Attack.

This is a welcome change and I am sure is in response to on-line piracy as well as to encourage more total viewership for the show whether fans are close to their home cable, traveling, or away at school.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

This post is partly to test the new Blogger App for iOS, but mostly to remind you to go buy the Star Wars Complete Saga on Blu-ray. Some stores open 24 hours will be selling the discs at midnight.

I know you may not like Jar Jar and think that the awkward make-out session between Luke & Leia is more romantic then Anakin and Padme's relationship, but stop complaining about the Prequels and buy the complete saga, you know you want the bonus features disc.

Look for my thoughts on the set next week and a guest appearance on the Sarlacc Pit podcast soon discussing the set.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

After a long summer hiatus, Star Wars: The Clone Wars is back and its back big baby!

Dave Filoni and TCW team is pulling out the Original Trilogy big guns and bringing Ackbar to the small screen in the latest of a series of film character guest stars.

I can't wait to see the two premier episodes this weekend. While I know the general plot, I have avoided detailed spoilers so that I can be wowed.

Synopsis for Episode 4.01: Water War

"When destiny calls, the chosen have no choice."

When the king of Mon Cala is assassinated, talks break down between the
Mon Calamari people and the Quarren, co-inhabitants of the aquatic
world. To stop a civil war, the Republic sends Padmé Amidala and Anakin
Skywalker, but unbeknownst to them, the Quarren are already being backed
by the Separatists. Now the Jedi must protect Mon Cala's new leader,
the young Prince Lee-Char, from the attack.

Am I the only one that has a hard time with Quarren with soft moving facial tentacles? To many hours playing with the action figures I guess.

Synopsis for Episode 4.02: Gungan Attack

"Only through fire is a strong sword forged."

Anakin Skywalker and the rest of his Jedi team have been overrun by the
Separatist surprise attacks led by Riff Tamson while Prince Lee-Char and
Ahsoka must evade capture on their own. Unable to summon more Republic
aid, Yoda calls upon the help of the powerful and amphibious Gungan
Grand Army, but whether they will be enough to stop the Separatist siege
is uncertain. An incensed Tamson doubles his efforts in tracking down
Prince Lee-Char, unleashing the reinforcements given to him by Count
Dooku in an assault that churns the oceans.

Wait since when are the Gungan's a powerful military force? That scraping sound you here is Mandalorian fanboys and girls spinning in their armor.

Look for a Battle Mediation Review of these episodes later this weekend on Lightsaber Rattling.

Monday, September 12, 2011

SUVUDU.com and Star Wars Books on Facebook are holding a fun little discussion and vote regarding who fans would cast in some of the key roles in Heir to the Empire. I am going to ignore the fact that they are trying to recast Wedge Antilles (Denis Lawson rocks).

It is an interesting exercise to go through.

Below you fill find my picks for seven characters who make their debut in Heir to the Empire.

Grand Admiral Thrawn:

Could any actor be more perfect for the role of Thrawn then the man who recently portrayed Magneto in X-Men: First Class, Michael Fassbender.

Mara Jade:

How about Ron Howard's little girl Bryce Dallas Howard for the role of Mara Jade. For Mara you need someone who is a combination of youthful looking, beautiful and athletic.

Talon Karrde:

Karrde is a very interesting character, the actor must be able to portray he intelligence of a spymaster and the physicality of a pirate chief. I can't think of anyone better with the acting chops to handle this then Russell Crowe.

Admiral Gilad Pelleaon:

The actor who portrays the Old Man (stealing a line from BSG) needs the gravitas to pull off an awesome mustache. That leaves the best mustache in Hollywood as an obvious choice.

Borsk Fey'lya:

For Borsk I think we need a nice deep voice and one interesting choice would be Christopher Judge best known for his work on Stargate SG-1 as every one's favorite Jaffa, Teal'c.

Joruus C'baoth:

There are a bunch of older actors that could pull off the role of the mad Jedi Clone C'baoth, but I am going for a unique kind of crazy with Sam Elliott.

Winter:

Last but not least a fun and unique supporting character. Winter is Leia's lifetime friend, a human recording device and the future best babysitter in the galaxy. For this character lets go with the lovely Alexis Bledel with nice dye job.

Well that is the best I can do. If you don't see me posting in a few days that means some Hollywood casting firm has snapped up my services. What do you think of my list and who would you pick?

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Last season I began writing what I called "Battle Meditation" reviews of each weeks The Clone Wars episodes. The name comes from the EU Force Technique which allows Jedi or Sith to enhance the performance of their forces and hinder their enemies performance in battle. I thought it was an apt tittle for a review concerning TCW.

The format I chose for the reviews was broken down into various categories with a bunch of images. This year I am going to be streamlining the review format. I want to make the reviews more readable and less fragmented, so there will be less sub-headings. I also am going to be reducing the number of images included in the reviews.

These changes will make it a lot easier for me to write the reviews as last year they became very labor intensive. I also want to be able to focus more time on the content of my writing instead of all the formatting necessary with the previous format.

Hopefully readers who enjoyed our reviews last season will enjoy them this season as well. I am certainly looking forward to Season Four: Battle Lines.

If you have any opinions or thoughts on the changes when the reviews begin appearing, please leave them in the comment section.

In many ways the penultimate book in a large series is the most difficult to write. The author must begin the process of weaving th...

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